Ashton has been in love with his best friend for years, watching him grow from a pretty high school boy to the gorgeous erotic dancer at the club where they both work. The problem is that Lance enjoys the attention of a variety of men while Ashton wants him for his very own.

After a day spent denying his attraction for Lance, standing by while their friend Trey openly flirts with him, Ashton decides it’s time to make his move or risk losing his man forever. Once Lance knows how he feels, he’ll realize they should be together. Or is it already too late?

Pages or Words: 10,308 words

Categories: Contemporary, Erotic, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:

“Fuck!” Ashton shouted in a mixture of anger and ecstasy as Lance swallowed again, then let Ashton’s softening cock slip from between his perfect lips. Ashton leaned on his elbows, his chest heaving while he caught his breath. With a last kiss on his thigh, Lance climbed off the bed, sleek-limbed and graceful, and walked to the dresser with a sassy sway of his hips.

Ashton stared after him and groaned, not sure if he wanted to pull his friend’s ass back into his arms or punch him in the face. It would be incredible to wake up with Lance every morning and make love to him. But he sternly reminded himself that they were only friends and Lance needed to stop climbing into his bed at night uninvited.

“You do remember you have a bed of your own?” he asked, more sharply than he’d intended.

Lance gave him a smirk over his shoulder, making a show of licking the last of Ashton’s spunk off his swollen lips. “You told me to wake you at seven.”

“I didn’t mean… Oh hell.” Ashton fell back on the pillows and threw an arm over his eyes. He swore in exasperation when the mattress dipped and Lance’s familiar scent surrounded him. “Damn it—”

Ashton peered at him through the dark curls that had flopped into his eyes. The guy looked positively forlorn, and Ashton sat up, giving him a one-armed hug. “I’m not mad. But you don’t need to keep doing that, either. You’re my friend!” He kissed Lance’s cheek, the velvet skin warm with a blush. “You make a terrific roommate, and I like the company.”

“And I like you.” Lance walked his fingers up Ashton’s leg.

Ashton laughed and shooed the hand away, but couldn’t help staring at the enticing evidence of his friend’s arousal between his legs.

“Can I take care of that for you?”

“Not at all.” Lance stood up, waving off Ashton’s offer. “I’ll deal with it in the shower. You have to save your attentions for Mister Man.”

“Who are you talking about…? Wait!” Ashton rolled off the bed and trotted after Lance as he crossed the apartment.

Lance giggled, slipping behind the bathroom door but holding it cracked open an inch. He smiled at Ashton with his pouty, kissable lips. “You know, the boss. Mister Kent.”

“I’m not saving myself for—”

Ashton blinked at the closed door. Why in the world would Lance think he was interested in his boss? Sure, the man was handsome as sin, but he was also an egomaniac and tyrant. Why only yesterday, he’d…

Hot blood scorched Ashton’s neck and face, his arm tingling where Morgan Kent had gripped it, towering over him. The man had bent to his ear, swamping Ashton’s senses with subtle cologne and a hint of sweat as he’d whispered, “If you can’t type a simple letter without mistakes, I’ll find a secretary who can.” He’d tightened his hand almost painfully on Ashton’s arm. “Or maybe I should just bend you over this desk and smack your ass for each mistake?”

Ashton’s dick jumped at the memory. He told it sternly to behave. “We’re not falling for that bastard. We’ll stick with the sweet boys at the club and call it good.”

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Dianne Hartsock, author of STUCK ON REWIND. Hi Dianne, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about your current book.

Thank you Velvet Panic for hosting me today! Stuck on Rewind is a book about friends who become lovers, but only after a lot of heartache and misunderstanding.

Can you describe in detail what your writing environment is like?

Of course. Both my kids are grown and moved out of the house, so we’ve converted one room into a guest bedroom, and I’ve taken over the other for my very own writing space. It has a large picture window overlooking the front yard and flower garden, and faces west so I get to watch the sunset, which here in Oregon, is pretty rare in the winter. I have beautiful prints and artwork on the walls with bookcases lining one wall stuffed with books by favorite authors. I have a large desk on which to spread out my papers, and nothing gets moved unless I want it to! There’s a nice CD player, but I’m one of those odd authors who needs absolute quiet when I’m working on a scene. Music is a distraction and interruptions are grounds for divorce.

Is there one of your characters that you relate to (from any of your works)? Why?

I can’t say there’s any one character I relate to more than others. I think I put a little of myself into each one. When someone is sad, I pull up those memories to describe the feeling. Love, hate, anguish joy, everything comes from inside me or how I’ve observed these feelings in others. Same with the situations they find themselves in. I may not have had to deal with the exact same things, but ones similar enough to make them sound authentic.

I guess if I had to choose, it would be Alex Elson from my psychological thriller, ALEX, put out several years ago. Alex is shy, introverted, a young man simply trying to make a decent life for himself in a world that doesn’t always understand him. If often feel this way. I can also relate to Ashton from this story. He wants to be with the man he loves, but his insecurities get in the way.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would you do instead?

I work as a floral designer for my day job, which I thoroughly enjoy. There’s something very satisfying in creating a beautiful bouquet of flowers for someone to take home or give to a loved one. But I’ve always wanted to take some oil painting classes and to sketch in charcoals. If I couldn’t write, I think I’d explore this creative outlet, see if I have a hidden talent for it. I do like the tactile pleasure of sketching and the vibrant color of oil paints. I think I could be very happy working in these mediums.

Is there anything that you learned during the writing process that you wish you had known before hand?

I wish with all my heart that I could learn to take better notes! I write along, jotting notes down as I go. Character traits, looks, eye color, etc., all go down. As well as locations and times of day and day of the week. The problem, is that when I need to go back to my notes for reference, they’re such a jumble of disjointed sentences I have a hard time finding what I need. I try to do better with each story, but apparently old habits are hard to break.

Is there anything that you wish you could change about your book now that it is out?

I really can’t think of anything. I told the story I wanted to and had amazing editors to help me polish it into a story I can be proud of.

Meet the author:

Dianne grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from.

Dianne now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. She says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee warming her hands, which kindles her imagination.

Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.